Misfill, Skate or Die Edition

Each week in Refill, the Pen Addict Members newsletter, I publish Ink Links as part of the additional content you receive for being a member. And each week, after 10 to 15 links, plus my added commentary on each, I'm left with many great items I want to share. Enter Misfill. Here are this weeks links:

— Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2 reflects the changing culture of skateboarding (Polygon)

— It’s a Bird (Kottke)

— Inky Ears: Stationery Podcast Roundup (The Well-Appointed Desk)

— Louis Vuitton Rouge Libertin Ink (Gourmet Pens)

— Ann Banks Pencils – Part 1 of 2 (Pencil Fodder)

— If You Like Leather Goods, Check Out Makers South Leather Notebook Covers (Chicana Writes)

— A look at the Sailor 1911 standard fountain pen. (Fountain pen blog)

— The 10 Best Artist Playlists on Spotify: Wilco, Whitney & More (Paste)

— Credit Where Credit is Due: The Design Firm Behind LEGO's New Paper Packaging - Core77 (Core 77)

— Top Authors and their iconic writing instruments (The Times of India)

— Rare books stolen in London heist found under floor in Romania (The Guardian)

— Nanami Cafe B6 Notebook Review (Pen and Paper Geek)

— Pilot Dr Grip: Artist Reviews Pencils (Becca Hillburn)

— Sailor Shikiori (Tsukuyu-no-Minamo) Yodaki (Flex & Other Follies)

— Esterbrook Pen Nook v2: new solutions, new problems (UK fountain pens)

— Kikyou – Sailor Manyo ink (Inksnibs)

— Pen Review: Montegrappa Miya Fountain Pen (The Gentleman Stationer)

— New Sailor Manyo Inks (Wonder Pens)

— Karas Kustoms Battleworn Ink 2.0 Rollerball (Writing at Large)

— Review: Otto Hutt Design 06 Fountain Pen (The Pencilcase Blog)

— Explore Dozens of Drawings by Charles Darwin's Creative Children (Open Culture)

— Vintage-Style Illustrations Merge Animals, Insects, and Botanics to Form Bizarre Hybrid Creatures (Colossal)

— Robert Oster Sydney Lavender (by STALÓWKA)

— Ink Review #298: Tono & Lims Yamanashi: Wind of Sakura (Fountain Pen Pharmacist)

— Tag Team: Akashiya Bamboo Brush Pen & J. Herbin Diabolo Menthe Ink (No Pen Intended)

Want to catch the rest, plus extra articles, reviews, commentary, discounts, and more? Try out a Pen Addict Membership for only $5 per month!

Parker Jotter XL Ballpoint Pen in Monochrome Stainless Steel Giveaway Winner

I’m a big fan of all things Parker Jotter, so it’s no surprise that the new Jotter XL in Monochrome Stainless Steel checks all the boxes. I had one to give away this week, and the winner is:

Congrats Jacob! I’ve sent you an email to collect your shipping address.

Graf von Faber-Castell Yozakura Ink: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Yozakura means "night cherry blossom," and that certainly describes the color of this ink from Graf von Faber-Castell. It is the dusty pink color of cherry blossoms in the evening light of Japan.

The 75ml bottle is beautiful in its own right. It is made of glass in an oblong shape with a thick, stable base. The cap is gilded in silver with the Graf von Faber-Castell logo on top.

Yozakura ink is dry and light, especially in finer nibs. It does not exhibit any sheen but offers good shading. Graf von Faber-Castell states that it is indelible ink, though in my water test it faded slightly.

The ink has a salmon tinge to it, as you can see on the Col-o-dex card. Because the ink is waterproof, chromatography doesn't separate the colors effectively.

A large, wet nib brings out the best in this ink with lots of shading, color variation, and pooling.

I used my TWSBI 580 EF nib to test the ink in longer writing sessions. This wasn't the best choice, in retrospect, because the ink is so dry and light. It's almost unreadable in my MD Paper journal. However, I think it would work much better in broad and stub nibs that have a wet flow.

Yozakura is similar to Robert Oster Sushi (reviewed here). It's a bit darker than TWSBI Pink and much lighter than Kyo-iro Keage-Sakura and Iroshizuku Tsutsuji.

I love dusty pinks and purples, so I created a mandala with Yozakura and Kyo-no-oto Sakuranezumi (reviewed here). This isn't one of my better mandalas, but I like the color combination.

You can purchase Graf von Faber-Castell Yozakura from Vanness Pens. 75ml costs $32.00. That's a lot of ink, so you might want to try a 4ml sample first ($4.00).

(Vanness Pens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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